Harness mechanism for looms



May 5, 1931. E. w. STONE 1,803,539

HARNESS MECHANISM FOR LOOMS F'iled p 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //\/1/ENTOR ATTORNEY May 5, 1931.

E. W. STONE HARNESS MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Sept. 12, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

CZM ,Wca zz A TTORNEY Patented May 5, 1931 STATES waste PATENT Q FF CE LEDWIN W. STONE, LONG/MEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, 'ASSIGNQR. TO BIGE IIOW-S-A NFORD CARPET CQQINTQQOF THOMPSONVILLE, CIONNEC'DIGUT, A CORPORATION Q)? MASS-A HARNESS "MECHANISM "IlSOR LOOM-S Application'filcclSeptember 1.2, 1930. .Serial rm. 4 15299.

V This invention relates to harness mechanism forlooms, and more particularly to the connections between the harness frames -,and

cam levers for shifting the frames."

5 ltihas been common practice'heretofore'to employ leather strapsas the flexible connec- :tions (between the harness "frames and cam levers, and to provide hooked Wiresadapted tween the harness frames and cam levers, and

-whi-le these prior constructions worlrmore 15 or :less satisfactorily they tend to stretch from While in use and need :to beadjusted time to time.

The present ;-invention therefore contem-- plates a stronger and {more durable form of iflexible connection between the harness iframes and cam levers, and improved ,means for adjusting theiefiective'length andtension" r supporting structure consisting of the .slde -frames 1,2 and 3connected by the beams at of the flexible connections.

One important feature of the present in- A vention resides ma constructlon 1n \VlllCll a sheave is secured (to the cam lever-t0 be shifted thereby, and hElSf a flexible, connection looped about this sheave. and the ends ;of the connection secured to laterally spaced por- BQ tions of the harness frame, the arrangement being such that the frame can be readily tilted or-shiftedjtothe desired horizontal'pm sition and then positively maintainedin-such.

' 7 position 'by clampingkthe looped strands of the :flexible connection adjacent the sheave.

'Another feature of 'the present invention resides in a harness mechanism employing small, strong and highly flexible 1 cables .as the flexible connections between the harness frame and cam lever, and in'turnbuckles associated with said cables to facilitate the er-f 'tical adjustment "of each harness fram and 'the' tension of the :cables, Still afiirtlier fea- 45 ture of the present invention resides in im 7 proved means for attachingthe endsofthe cable to the harness frame; 7

, The yarious features of the invention and novel .ccombination .of'marts' will ,be further 5o understood from the following description When readin-connection with-the accompany- 'ing drawings, wherein: v

- F 1g. 1 is a vertical sectional View of a loom taken at the rear o-fthe lay to show the harness mechanism of the present inven r vtlon;

Fig. .2 is a fragmentary side elevation of i the loom of Fig. 1,; v

,Fig. 3 .on;an enlarged scale is a sectional View through apart of the'harness ,frame to (which an :end of {a cable is connected, and F 4 is an enlarged perspective View of means for adjustably connecting .a cable to thec am lever. V 1 I The harness mechanismof the present mvention may be used upon practically :any type of loom designed ,toemploy cam mechanism toshift-the harness frames. The'accompanyin'g drawings illustrate only the portions of the loom withwhich the harness mechanism is associated. 'Ifhe loom illustrated may have the .usual and thefloom isshomn Fig. 2.as having'rthc" usualslayo supported by the lay swords 6 and roclrshaft 7. The lay is .rockedltowards and from the front ,of' the. loom by the crank I shaft'S (see 2) which .isshownas driven bottom shaft 12 which is driven from the :crankishaft bythe cooperating gears Band 1.4. 'Ihe parts so far described mayhave,

any well -knonm or preferredconstruction.

The harness ,mechanism oflthe presentin- V e t on may be employed to operate any desiredflnu mber of harness gframes, since the operating mechanism for each .frame s com plete in itself and-operatesindependently of the v.othergfram es, :Eour harness frames 15 are employed ,in the loom illustrated, but

since the sainegtypeoficonnection is employed between each framel5 ,and its qperatingcam lever 16 :the description-ofthe connections r for one framewillihe sulficient.

The camle vers 16, one for each harness am ar r etsl) yl lq ted 17 @113 a bottom shaft 12, and each lever 16 is provided intermediate its ends with a roller adapted to engage a cam groove in the cam for operating that lever. The levers 16 are of different length, as shown, to accommodate the distance of the harness frames from the fell of the cloth.

In accordance with the present invention, each iarness frame 15 is supported by the flexible strands 19 and 20 provided by looping a flexible element, such as a small cable, about a grooved sheave 21 of a pulley 22. This pulley is connected by any suitable means, such as a link 23, to the proper cam lever 16. The link 23 may have the U- shaped construction best shown in Fig.4 and has eyes 24 at its lower end adapted to receive the pin that pivotally secures the link to the cam lever.

A turn-buckle 26 is preferably provided between each pulley 22 and link 23 and after a turn-buckle has been rotated to the desired position it may be locked in this position by a spring holder 27 which may have an eye at its upper end for securing the same to the pulley 23 and a laterally extending portion 28 at its lower end adapted to enter a hole in the turn-buckle.

The loopedstrands 19 and 20 extend upwardly from a pulley 22 about the grooved roller 29 supported by the brackets 30 and then horizontally over the harness frame. One of these strands extends downwardly about agrooved roller 31 and is secured to the upper portion of the harness frame 15 near one side thereof, while the other strand extends downwardly about a second grooved roller 32 and is secured to the upper portion of the harness frame near the opposite side thereof, as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

The heddle frames 15 are preferably formed of light skeleton steel and in the construction shown the ends of the strands 19 and 20 are secured to the frame 15 by providing the upper horizontal bar of the frame with a slot 33 through which the grooved C-shaped sleeve 34 is inserted, and at each side of this apertured bar is provided a. rounded strip 35 which may be secured in place by the rivet 36. In this manner a cylinder-like portion is formed to fit the inner curved surface of the C-shaped sleeve 34 as will be apparent from Fig. 3. The end portion of each cable is looped about a grooved sleeve and may then be firmly secured about the same by a clamp 37 having the portions shown adapted to be secured against the opposite sides of the cable by a clamping screw 38. The portions of the clamp 37 may be held in alignment with each other by a pin 39 that is rigidly mounted in one portion and slidably received in the other portion. p

In the construction shown, each harness "frame 15 is pulled downwardly by the flexible strands 40 and 41 provided by looping a cable or other flexible element about the sheave of a lower pulley 42 connected by a turn-buckle 43 and link 44 to the proper cam lever 16. The cable operating means con nected to the upper and lower sides of a harness frame are shown as similar in construction, and the lower strands pass about the lower grooved rollers 45, 46 and 47, and upwardly toward the lever 16. The links 23 and 44 may be provided with the clamps 48 for preventing the legs of the links from springing outwardly out of engagement with the pivot pins 25.

The operating connections forming the strands 19, 20 and 40, 41 are preferably formed of special aeroplane cables that are exceptionally strong and flexible, with the result that the harness frames may be easily raised and lowered by the levers 16 even when the cables are held quite taut.

As a result of the construction of the present invention in which thecables are looped about the sheaves of the pulleys 22 and 42. the harness frames 15 may be easily shifted into the desired horizontal position by pressing down on one side of a frame and up on the opposite side, and after the desired adjustment is secured the looped cables are preferably clamped in this position by applying the clamps 37 to the cables adjacent each sheave as best shown in Fig. 4.

Since the operating connections for each harness frame 15 include an upper turnbuckle 26 and a lower turn-buckle 43, a frame 15 may be raised or lowered relative to its operating lever 16 by taking up one turnbuckle and backing off the other, and each turn-buckle may be rotated to secure the desired tension upon the operating cables.

As a result of the present invention the harness frames may be readily adjusted with a high degree of accuracy to secure the desired manipulation of the shed, and the entire construction while relatively inexpensive to manufacture is strong and durable and operates in a highly satisfactory manner.

What is claimed is 1. In a harness mechanism for looms. a harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame. including a rocking lever, a sheave connected to the lever to be shifted. thereby, a cable looped about said sheave and having its ends extending from the sheave connected to laterally spaced portions of the harness frame, a clamp for securing the looped portions ofthe cable together and rollers for supporting the two strands of the looped cable between their ends and the sheave and arranged so that upon loosening the clamp the frame can be tilted by shifting the cable about the sheave and then held from tilting by setting up the clamp.

2. In a harness mechanism for looms. a

harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame, including an actuator adapted to be shifted from a going part of the loom, a sheave connected to the actuator to be shifted thereby, a flexible strand looped about said sheave and having its ends connected to laterally spaced portions of the harness frame, rollers for supporting .the

portions of the strand extending from'the sheave to said frameand arranged so that the frame can be tilted by shifting the strand about the sheave and a clamp embracing the two runs of the strand to prevent the frame,

means for clamping the looped portions of the strand adjacent said sheave to prevent I the harness frame from tilting.

4. In a harness inechanism for looms, a harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame, including a power actuated lever, flexible connectionsextending between the lever and laterally spaced portions of the top of the harness frame and also between thejlever and laterally spaced portions of the bottom of the harness frames, rollers for supporting intermediate portions of said flexible connections, clamping means for the fiexibleconnections to permit the harness frame to be tilted when the'cla'mping means is released and prevent the harness from being tilted when the clamping means is set up, and a turn-buckle between the lever and upper flexible connections and a secondturnbuckle between the lever and lower flexible V 6. In a. harness mechanism for looms, a

harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame, including a rocking lever, an upper and a lower sheave connected to the lever to be shifted thereby, a cable looped about the upper sheave and having its ends connectedto laterally spaced portions at the top ofthe harness frame, a second cable looped about the lower sheave and having its ends connected to laterally spaced portions at the bottom of the harness frame, rollers for sup porting the cables between the frame and sheaves and arranged so that the frame can be tilted by shifting the cables about the sheaves, and aclamp upon the looped portion. of each cable adjacent its sheave to hold the harness frame from tilting;

7. In a harness mechanism for looms, a

harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame, including an actuator adapted tobe shifted from a going part of the loom, flexible connections between said actuator and harness frame, means forsecurmg the fiexlble connections to the harness frame including a grooved C-shaped sleeve j encircling a part of said frame and having a flexible connection looped about the C-shaped sleeve to lie in its groove, and a clamp for securing the looped portions of the flexible connection about said sleeve.

;8.In a harness mechanism for looms, a

harness frame, power 7 operated means I for shifting the frame, including an actuator adapted to be shifted from a, going part of the loom, a cable connectionbetween said ace '1 tuatorand harness, and means for attaching an end portion of the cable to the harness frame including a grooved C-shaped sleeve encircling a part of said frame and having an end portion of said cable looped about the I 3 sleeve to lie in its groove.

In testimony whereof, I- have signed my name tothls speclficat-lon.

EDWIN w. STONE.

connections and adjustable tovary the tene sion of sand connectlons and the vertical move-: 7

ment of the harness frame. 1 I

' 5. In a harness mechanism for looms, :a harness frame, power operated means for shifting the frame, including a rocking lever, an upper and a lower sheave connected to the lever to be shifted thereby, a cable looped about the uppersheave and havingits ends connected to laterally spaced portions 1 at the top of the harness frame, a secondcable looped about the lower sheave and having its ends connected to laterally spaced portions at the bottom of the harness frame, rollers for supporting the cables between the frame and sheaves and arranged so that the frame can be tilted by shifting the cables about the sheaves and clamping means for'the. flexible 7 connections to prevent the frame from tilting after it has been positioned. v 5 

